Longvue Acres Garden Club marks 65th anniversary

The Longvue Acres Garden Club is celebrating its roots with a 65th-anniversary celebration Sept. 22.

The event, which starts at 6:45 p.m. at Northmont United Presbyterian Church in McCandless, will feature refreshments, a video presentation, a memorabilia display, recognition of longtime members and recollections of its varied contributions to the community through the years.

Current and past members and anyone interested in the group are invited.

“As a nod to our founders, we're encouraging members to glam it up with hats, gloves and pearls,” said Claudia Hickly, vice president of the garden club.

The Longvue Acres Garden Club was formed in the fall of 1950, when construction of the Longvue Acres Plan 3, located off Peebles Road in McCandless, brought many new homes to the booming area.

Unfortunately, the new housing plan lacked greenery.

“It was just piles of dirt and new roads,” said Hickly, 66, of McCandless.

To beautify the neighborhood, women living on Hazlett Road, Bingay Drive and Balmoral Drive organized the garden club. They held front-yard beauty contests to encourage residents to spruce up their properties and awarded money to homeowners who planted the most attractive landscaping.

“They even had a jingle: ‘Lend a hand, Do your share, Let's have beauty everywhere,'” Hickly said.

The club had 40 to 50 members, who met monthly in the basement of founding member Gladys Kuhman, according to Hickly. Annual membership was $1.25.

Additional money was raised through plant sales held in Kuhman's backyard, where asters, zinnias and petunias sold for 35-cents for a dozen.

Proceeds funded the garden club's first community project: the 1952 supplemental planting and landscaping at the then-new Peebles Elementary School, located up the road from the Longvue Acres housing plan.

Subsequent plant sales funded trees and shrubs planted at the Northland Public Library in McCandless, the native perennial garden at North Park's Latodami Nature Center and the trees at the southbound Bellevue exit of Interstate 279.

Funds also supported the Junior Gardeners Club at Peebles Elementary and a garden-therapy program for widows.

In 1995, Passavant Hospital, now UPMC Passavant, in McCandless needed help from local garden clubs to establish a Healing Garden across near the hospital's chapel. A number of garden clubs responded, but Longvue Acres is the only one to continue maintaining its plants, which include a variety of viburnum; Korean spice; white clematis; morning grass; and fragrant tall, white lilies.

“The garden is beautiful. The all-white color makes it unique. We're fortunate to have the continued support of the club for so many dedicated years,” said Passavant Hospital Foundation President and CEO Fay Morgan of Shaler, who will present the club with a certificate of appreciation at the anniversary celebration.

Today, the club has 35 members. It meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month for a variety of educational programs. Field trips have included a day tour of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden in Settlers Cabin Park and a three-day excursion to Longwood Gardens near Wilmington, Del.

Membership is $15.

“We're not a tea-and-sandwiches kind of garden club. Everyone gets dirty. The programs are excellent. It's a good group. That's why I've been a member so long,” said Bill Goff, 66, of Ross, who joined in the mid-1980s.

Jenna Noker, 44, of McCandless is one of the club's newest members.

She learned about the club when a longtime member showed up at her yard sale in 2013 and complimented her on her yard, which features a vegetable garden, flowers and a greenhouse.

“She invited me to the garden club and even offered to pick me up so I wouldn't have to walk in the room by myself. I've been hooked ever since,” Noker said.

One month after she joined the club, Noker's next-door neighbor joined.

A month later, her other next-door neighbor joined. Then, another close neighbor began attending.

“It's very low key and relaxed. Once a month, we go learn or see something new,” Noker said.

In the near future, club members are hoping to get approvals from McCandless officials to help with the landscaping of the new North Allegheny History Museum being built on Ingomar Road, near North Park.

“I also would love to see us start a kids garden club,” Noker said.

Laurie Rees is a freelance writer for Trib Total Media.